A truly impressive case

Cooler Master contacted us some time ago about a new case they wanted to send out dubbed the "CSX". While not one particular chassis, the CSX designator is really a new brand created by Cooler Master and Smooth Creations to market a line of custom-painted cases that are really impressive to see.

A duo of companies partner together: Cooler Master provides the case and Smooth Creations "brings the sexy back" so to speak. Both the Cooler Master Stacker 830 and Cosmos designs are available with varying designs. We have already reviewed both of these case designs on PC Perspective (Cosmos review here and Stacker review here) so the designs are nothing new and nothing that we haven't already discussed, critiqued or fawned over. Instead what I'll be showing you today is simply the beauty of one design that CM and Smooth Creations sent over to us.

The case comes concealed in a heavy black covering to protect it during shipping and it gives the product a "high-end" feel.

As you'll see in most of my photos, taking pictures of the case is incredibly difficult! The finish on the case is like that of a well waxed car and it causes large reflections issues for photography yet looks gorgeous in person.

On the right side of the case is the dragon itself - the reflections are popping their nasty head in again here.

One of the key selling points for these CSX products is the high quality paint and finish that Cooler Master and Smooth Creations are using. In fact, you will actually get a certificate of authenticity with your name on it verifying that your case has been "personally inspected, numbered, packed and approved as authentic".

All of the CSX cases are truly unique - each is hand air-brushed by different artists at Smooth Creations ensuring that your case is not like any other. Cooler Master will cover paint with a limited lifetime warranty as long as you register the product, and for 5-years should you not want to pass on your information.

An interesting "care and cleaning guide" is included with the case as well - get ready to wax and polish your case! The finish from Smooth Creations is basically like a clear coat finish on a car so those of you familiar with micro-fiber cloth, car polish and elbow grease will feel right at home.

On the left side the Cosmos case has a window to see the components in your PC surrounding by the same exceptional flame artwork.

Just so you can see it here without having to flip over to the full Cosmos review, the rear of the case puts the power supply at the bottom of the case design and has water cooling rubber gaskets for passing tubes safely.

The top of chassis remains unchanged from the Cosmos case.

Opening up the front door on the case (which swings both ways, really) reveals the same interior that was found in the standard Cooler Master Cosmos case.

The internal design of the Cosmos is unchanged, but is still VERY good and is in fact the case that I use in the system next to my desk right now. The screw-less optical drive bays, filtered air intakes and vibration-free hard drive cages are fantastic features.

Here is a close up of the Red Dragon...that eye looks kind of creepy.

Final Thoughts

I should reiterate - if you haven't read a review of the Cooler Master Cosmos case you should head to our article on it to get a full feeling of how the chassis functions. The CSX Red Dragon model we looked at here is just that case with a gorgeous paint job.

I would be remiss to not mention that these super-sexy cases have a severe drawback - the price! This particular Red Dragon chassis will run you about $1200. That's enough for a good mix of gaming hardware components, so obviously the CSX cases are really for users with a good portion of expendable cash. There are some models that go for as low as $699 for Stacker 830 designs.

Overall I was really impressed by the Cooler Master / Smooth Creations collaboration that is the CSX Red Dragon chassis. If you have lots of extra cash on hand or really, really appreciate the idea of having a completely unique artwork for a case, check out the CMCSX.com website for purchasing.

Cooler Master Provided Images and Other Case Designs

I have included some images from Cooler Master of the Red Dragon as well as a few other chassis design to whet your appetite. Check out the store link above for quite a few more!